Supporters of embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak—some on horses and camels and armed with whips—charged without warning into the ranks of opposition protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square Feb. 2, sparking running battles that have left hundreds injured and at least one dead. Both sides erected barricades and hurled stones, concrete and other missiles at each other. Government supporters on surrounding rooftops dropped Molotov cocktails on protesters below. Police fired tear gas at protesters, while seemingly leaving the rest to "unofficial" pro-Mubarak forces. Gunfire has been heard repeatedly, but it seems to be police firing into the air to intimidate protesters. The army, with a strong presence around the square, appeared not to interfere. Similar scenes are reported from Alexandria. The pro-government mobs are assumed to be organized by the ruling National Democratic Party, with a probable hand of the Mukhabarat secret police agency. (Middle East Online, AFP, Al-Masry al-Youm, BBC World Service, Feb. 2)

Several hundred thousand protesters filled Cairo's Tahrir Square in a eighth day of defiance of authorities Feb. 1, the biggest outpouring yet demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. A second "march of a million" was held in Alexandria. There were no incidents of violence reported anywhere in the country; army tanks continued to surround Tahrir Square but again did not interfere with the massive protest. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said Friday Feb. 4 had been set as "departure day" for Mubarak, pledging that there would be no negotiations with the regime until the president "leaves." Chants of "Revolution! Revolution until victory!" filled the square.

Reuters, AFP and other wire services reported Feb. 1 that a synagogue was set aflame by arsonists in the Tunisian city of Ghabes overnight, in a wave of nocturnal violence that also affected the capital. "I condemn this action and I believe those who did it want to create divisions between Jews and Muslims in Tunisia who have lived for decades in peace," said local Jewish community leader Peres Trabelsi. "What especially shocked me was the fact that there was a police force not far from the synagogue when it was attacked," he added. However, later the same day, AFP retracted the story, saying without elaboration that their sources had withdrawn the accusation.

Rulers in Arab capitals are taking moves to avert the emergence of mass revolutionary movements such as seen in Egypt and Tunisia. In Yemen, where protesters have called a "day of rage" for Feb. 3, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has increased wages and cut income taxes, and on Feb. 1 announced that will address a special meeting of the consultative council. Online activists have also called for a "day of rage" in Syria this week to demand the resignation of President Bashir Assad.

Student strikers at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) continued using mass civil disobedience the week of Jan. 24 to push their demand that the university drop an $800 tuition surcharge the administration is imposing this year. Some 200 protesters occupied parts of the Río Piedras campus in San Juan at various times on Jan. 25, with a total of 32 arrests. "We're going to emphasize civil disobedience as a strategy to bring the message that there are students ready to commit themselves totally because they believe there are alternatives to the fee," said Xiomara Caro, a spokesperson for the Student Representative Committee (CRE). (El Nuevo Día, Guaynabo, Jan. 25)

A secret US diplomatic cable released by the WikiLeaks group and published by the Spanish daily El País on Jan. 23 reveals that the main Mexican intelligence agency, the Center for Investigations and National Security (CISEN), "has allowed USG [US government] officers to interview foreign nationals detained at Mexican immigration detention centers dispersed around the country for potential CT [counterterrorist] information of interest." The May 16, 2008 cable—described as a "scene setter for the visit to Mexico of FBI deputy director John S. Pistole"—also reported that "senior migration officials" in Mexico "are sympathetic to our concerns" and are working with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency to locate terrorism suspects. El País noted that "Mexico is a very nationalist country where the intervention of third parties causes political and social frictions."

Hundreds of students, residents, artists, religious people and activists from some 70 organizations started a fast the morning of Jan. 29 in Ciudad Juárez, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, to mark the first anniversary of the Jan. 30, 2010 massacre of 15 youths in the city's Villas de Salvárcar neighborhood. "No more blood!" "No more impunity!" and "No more feminicides!" were among the slogans of the commemoration. Later in the morning a group of the fasters marched to Puerto de Anapra, near Sunland Park, New México, where they and US residents held a ceremony in memory of the victims. The demonstrators were divided by a metal fence the US government has built at the border and watched over by US Border Patrol agents.

On Jan. 28 Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announced its new schedule for the long-delayed runoffs for the presidency and for many legislative seats. The CEP set Feb. 2 as the day when it would announce the results of the first round, held on Nov. 28; campaigning is to take place from Feb. 17 to March 18; and the actual vote is planned for Mar. 20, with the preliminary results to be announced on March 31. The second round was supposed to be held on Jan. 16 but was delayed by disputes over the results of the chaotic first round.